Traction device for canals



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

I A POGOGK TRACTION DEVIGE FOR GANALS.

Patented June 26, 1894.

A awuemboz dm EQMZ.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

F. A. POGOUK. TRACTION DEVICE FOR UANALs- No. 521,865. Patented June 26,1894.-

ms NATIONAL LIYHOGRAPHING coMFANY.

UNITED STATES PAT NT CFFICE.

FRANCIS AGNEW 'POCOCK, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRACTION DEVICE FOR CANALS SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 521,865, dated June 26,1 894. Applica i n fi February 13, 1893.Serial n5, 462.175. (No model.)

To al? whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS AGNEW Po- OOoK, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain, residlng at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Traction Devices for Canals; andI do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form apart of thisspecification.

My invention relates to towing and its object is to furtherdevelop'canals as means of transport, by placing them more nearly on thefootmg of the railroads which have so generally supplanted them.

The invention consists in certain appliances enabling the use of anelectric locomotive to haul the canal boat or boats, a suitable trackbeing built for the locomotive to run on alongside the waterway.

I am aware that it has been proposed to drive a canal boat by means of apropeller, actuated by an electric'motor on the boat, the

motor taking its current from a trolley wire erected above the canal.But this method is ob ectionable for several reasons, among which arethe destructive wash from the propeller; the difficulty of keeping thecanal boat within the narrow limits of the trolley, especially in awind; the high resistance of the circuit if the return wire is laid inthe bottom of the canal, and the constant danger of breaking it if it islifted off the bottom by an under-running contact wheel on the boat. Iprefer, therefore, to place the motor on a truck of special constructiontraveling along a railway by the side of the canal, and towing the boatby the ordinary towline, in'short, to substitute an electric locomotivefor the mule.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is asectional elevation of an elevated trackand an electric locomotive suitable for the purposes of my invention.Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevations of the same. Fig. 4 is a plan view,and Fig. 5 is a plan of a portion of a canal equipped with my invention.

The track A is laid along the line of the canal, preferably about sixfeet from the bank,

butthis distance will vary with circumstances. When necessary, the trackmay be built out overthe water. It is preferably an elevated track,having a single rail B, laid alongthe top of a stringer a, which issupported on posts a set in the ground and suitably braced. A sidebearing rail B isfasten-ed to the posts a suitable distance below therail B, the bearing rail being on the outside of the track, that is, theside away from the canal.

The locomotive truck consists of a suitable frame 0 in which arejournaled upright suspension wheels D resting on the top rail 13, andhorizontal or inclined guide or bearing Wheels D, resting against theside rail B. The suspension wheels D have double flanges d, to preventtheir leaving the rail, and to resist the derailing tendencies on theone hand of the heavy motor and frame, and on the other hand of the dragof the tow line E, which is attached to the drawbar c on the water sideof the locomotive. The drawbar is provided at each end with a boss 0'fastened upon the ends of the stationary journals 0 of the suspensionwheels D. Y

In the truck frame is mounted the electric motor, Whose armature shaftis connected preferably by reduction gearing, such as the pinionFmeshing with a spur gear G, with a shaft g journaled in the frame O. Theouter end-of the shaft 9 lies over the top rail B, and carries a wheel Hhaving teeth h which mesh with a rack forming part of or attached to thetop rail B. In the drawings, the 'top rail is shown as provided with aseries of holes or recesses into which the teeth of the wheel H enter.

The motor may be either a continuous current, alternating current, ormultiphase current motor, and of any suitable make and size. The rails BB preferably form the supply and return conductors for the electriccurrent,

Y which is taken 0% eitherby the wheels D D or by special collectingdevices, as desired. When necessary, separate conductors are used. Themotor is controlled by the usual switches and rheostat, operated by aman who rides on the motor. These controlling devices are of theordinary make, and have not been shown, to avoid obscuring the drawings.Their arrangement and connections ofier no difficulty to apersonfamiliar with electric railways. The locomotive hangs on the outside ofthe track, so that the strain on the tow rope tends to pull thelocomotive over toward the canal. This tendency however is lessened byusing a long tow ropesay two hundred feet or more-so that the angularpull will be quite small, at least on tangents. On sharp curves, thereis more danger, but the drawbar hangs low enough to have at least but asmall tilting movement. If, however, an abnormal strain on the tow ropeshould tilt the locomotive enough to cause the wheels D to leave theside bearing rail, the electrical circuit will be broken and the motorwill instantly stop, thus relieving the pull on the tow rope andpreventing the locomotive from being tipped off the track.

To permit the boats to pass each other, turn outs are provided atconvenient points: orin lieu of turnouts, the locomotives on meetingexchange tow lines, and then each returns to its starting point or untilanother locomotive is met.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patout, is-

1. A traction device for a canal or other water way, consisting of anelevated structure adjacent thereto, an upper supporting rail and a sidebearing rail carried by said structure but insulated from each other andelectrically continuous, so as to serve as working conductors, and anelectric locomotive hung upon the upper rail and steadied by the siderail, and comprising current collecting devices bearing upon said rails,substantially as described.

2. A traction device for a canal or other water way, consisting of anelevated structure adjacent thereto, an upper supporting rail thereon, aside bearing rail on the side farther from the water, said rails beingelectrically continuous and serving as working conductors, and anelectric locomotive hung upon the upper rail with the greater part ofits weight on the side farther from the water, and comprising currentcollecting devices bearing upon the rails, substantially as described.

3. A traction device for a canal or other waterway, consisting of anelevated structure ad acent thereto, an upper supporting rail thereon, aside bearing rail on the side farther from the water, said rails beingelectrically continuous and serving as working conductors, an electriclocomotive hung upon the upper rail with the greater part of its weighton the side farther from the water, and comprising current collectingdevices bearing upon the rails, and a draw bar located above thesupporting rail on the side nearer the water, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a traction device for a canal or other water way a locomotiveadapted to run on a track adjacent to said canal, and a longitudinaldraw bar arranged on that side of the locomotive next the canal with itsends symmetrically disposed on each side of the driving wheel, incombination with a tow rope adapted to be attached to either end of saiddraw bar, substantially as described.

5. A traction device for a canal or other water way, consisting of anelevated railway adjacent thereto, rigid working electric conductorsincorporated in said railway, an electric locomotive supported on saidrailway, and comprising current collecting devices bearing against saidconductors, and a drawbar on said locomotive arranged above said railwayand at one side of the supporting wheels, whereby an abnormal strain onsaid drawbar will separate one of said collecting devices from its rigidconductor, and thus automatically break the electrical circuit,substantially as described.

6. A traction device for a canal or other water way, consisting oi asingle rail elevated railway adjacent thereto, rigid working electricconductors incorporated in said railway, an electric locomotivesupported on said rail and capable of being tilted laterally thereon,and comprising current collecting devices bearing against saidconductors, and a drawbar on said locomotive arranged above said railand at one side of the same, whereby an abnormal strain on said bar willtilt the locomotive and separate one of said collecting devices from itsrigid conductor, thereby breaking the electrical circuit, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. FRANCIS AGNEW POCOCK.

Witnesses:

M. F. SANDo, J 01m M. Connn'rr.

